Steam generator and means for promoting the circulation of the liquid therein



Nmr. 12, 1935. w. L. McLAUGHLlN El AL 2,020,369

, STEAM GENERATOR AND MEANS FOR PROMOTING THE CIRCULATION OF THE LIQUIDTHEREIN Original Filed June 30, 195.2

Patented Nov. 12 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I STEAM GENERATOR ANDMEANS FOR PRO- MOTING THE CIRCULATION OF THE LIQUID THEREIN corporationof Iowa Original application June 30, 1932, Serial No.

Divided and this application November 23, 1933, Serial No. 6.993123% 4Claims.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a means forcirculating liquid in a steam generator, boiler or the like.

A'further object of our invention is to provide 5 a circulating systemfor steam generators, boilers and the like that will effectively keepthe liquid, contained in said steam generator or boiler,

circulating,and at the same time increase the heat unit component insaid liquid. V

A still further object of the invention is to provide steam boiler orthe like that is capable of producing a maximum amount of steam in aminimum'length of time and with a minimum amount of fuel. r

l A still further object of our invention is to provide a circulationsystem for steam generators or the'like that will continuouslycirculate'the water or liquid beingreduc'ed to steam, and at the sametime absorb the maximum amount of heat from a'combustion chamber andtransmit the same to the-water or liquid concurrently with itscirculatory function, thereby making for efliciency and the leliminationof the possibility of warping or burning out of the hot gas flues insaid steam generator or the like.

aAstill further object of this invention is to provide a steam generatorand I means for promoting circulation" therein thatis economical anddurable in use.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Our invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combinationof the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated.are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in ourclaims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig.1 is a side sectional view of our steam generator installed andready for use.

.Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of a portion of our upright steamgenerator taken on line 22 of Fig. 1 and more fully illustrates theinterior construction of the combustion chamber and circulatory pipes.

This application is a division of our pending application filed in thePatent Office June 30, 1932, erial No. 620,080 on a steam generator.

It has always been desired that the efiiciency 'of steam generators,boilers and the like be increased. In order that a steam generator becfficient it is necessary that the lowest ratio exist between the heatunits supplied and the heat units imparted into the water or like liquidbeing reduced to steam. To approach the criterion in steam boilers orthe like it is necessary that the water or liquid be circulated in theboiler in order to keep it flowing near the source of heat and to keepthe heat increase uniform so that heat flues, chambers and the like willnot warp from the variance in temperatures. that our means ofcirculating Water in a steam generator or the like is constant and atthe same time imparts additional units of heat to the liquid it ishighly desirable that it be used whenever the highest amount ofefliciency and economy is desired.

we have used the numeral ID to generally designate the steam boilerhousing. The numeral l designates the outer circular shell of thecombustion chamber inside and resting on the floor of the boiler housingproper and open at its bottom, as shown in Fig. 1. This combustionchamber is much less in height than the height of the boiler housing andhas an outside diameter much 'less than the inside diameter of thehousing.

The numeral I2 designates a refractory lining on the inside of the shellI l. The numeral l3 designates a plurality of circular supporting andreinforcing fianges embedded in the refractory lining 1 l2 and securedby any suitable means to the inside of the shell H. The numeral l4designates the fuel inlet pipe having one of its ends in communicationwith a source of suitable fuel and its other end horizontallyterminating inside of the combustion chamber. The numeral I5 designatesa vertical dividing ridge formed out of the refractory lining l2. .Thisridge is positioned diametrically opposite from the discharge end of thefuel inlet pipe M and extends the entire inside height of the combustionchamber. The

numeral l6 designates a pit under the boiler l0- The upper side of thisledge may be protected Due to the fact F with a refractory lining l8.The numeral l9 designates a compartment in the upper end portion of theboiler housing and spaced apart from the combustion chamber. The numeral20 designates hot vertical gas flues positioned at each side of thecombustion chamber and inside the housing IO. These flues have theirlower ends communicating with the inside of the pit l6 and their upperends communicating with the inside of the compartment I9.

The numeral 2| designates a steam dome in the compartment l9 and havingits bottom communicating with a central water compartment 22 of theboiler, as shown in Fig. 1, and is positioned directly above thecombustion chamber. The numeral 23 designates the steam outlet pipecommunicating with the inside top of the steam dome. The numeral 24designates a steam gauge communicating with the inside top of the steamdome. The numeral 25 designates awater gauge having its lower endcommunicating with the inside bottom of the steam dome. The numeral 26designates a hollow wall or partition inside the compartment l9 andpositioned between the steam dome and the forward side of the boiler.This hollow partition has its lower end communicating with the centralwater compartment 22, as shown in Fig. 1. The numeral 21 designates aplurality of pipes, each having one of their ends communicating with theinside top of the steam dome and their other end communicating with theinside of the partition 26. By this construction, there is no dangerofthe hot gases in the compartment I9 burning out or warping thepartition 26.

The numeral 28 designates a second pit under the boiler housing I [I andpositioned in a vertical plane forward of the vertical plane of thecombustion chamber, as shown in Fig. 1. The numeral 29 designates aplurality of hot gas flues having their upper ends communicating withthe inside of the compartment l9 and their lower ends communicating withthe inside of the second pit 28. The numeral 30 designates a pluralityof hot gas lines having their lower ends communicating with the insideof the pit 28 and their upper ends communicating with the inside of thecompartment l9 forward of the partition 26. By this construction, therapidly cooling hot gases will pass from the compartment [9 downwardlythrough the flues 29 and into the pit 28.

From the pit 28 the hot gases will pass upwardly through the flues 30into the compartment l9 forward of the partition 26. From thecompartment l9 forward of the partition 26 the gases may pass from theboiler housing through the stack 3!. The numeral 32 designates the Waterinlet pipe communicating with the inside water compartment 22 of theboiler. By this arrangement, water passing through the pipe 32 will fillthe compartment 22, first contacting the lines 30, then the fines 29,and lastly the outside of the combustion chamber and flues 20. Steamfrom this water will collect in the steam dome 2|.

As our steam generator produces an extremely high temperature inside thecombustion chamber, it is desirable that the water in the centralcompartment 22 be circulated in order that it will more closely contactthe hot gas flues during the steam producing function. By circulatingthe water the fines will also last longer and will not warp or burn out,as experienced in ordinary steam boilers. In order to automaticallyaccomplish this desirable circulation of the water we have providedwater and'steam tubes 33 embedded in the refractory wall l2, as shown inthe drawing. These tubes have their lower ends communicating with theinside bottom of the water compartment 22 and their upper endscommunicating with the inside of the water com- 6 partment 22 near thetop thereof, as shown in Fig. 1. The upper ends of these tubes are bentfrom a vertical to a horizontal in order to throw water and steam to oneside of the combustion chamber foragitating the water surrounding theflues. The action of these before mentioned tubes is a natural result oftheir subjection to exceptionally high temperatures, which causes thewater to enter their lower ends and circulate rapidly upwardly andthrough them.

The water or similar liquid entering the lower end of the tubes 33 issubjected to an intense heat, this intense heat, transmitted to thewater, converts it into steam, which is then expelled with great forcefrom the upper end of the tubes into the water contained in thecompartment 22 causing a rapid circulation of the liquid in the saidcompartment.

The numeral 34 designates water legs communicating with the insidebottom of the water compartment 22. These water legs are designed tocollectundesirable solid matter settling in the bottom of the watercompartment.

Fromthe foregoing, it will readily be noted that we have provided ahighly eflicient means for circulating water in a steam generator'orboiler in order that it may be of the continuous type and capable ofpermitting the use of extremely high temperatures inside the combustionchamber and making possible the transfer of practically all of the heatunits from the hot gases to the water to be reduced to steam.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of ourimproved. steam generator and means for promoting the circulation 40 ofthe liquid therein without departing from the real spirit and purpose ofour invention, and it .is our intention to cover by our claims anymodified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which maybe reasonably included within their scope.

We claim:

1. In a device of the class described, a housing designed to containwater, a combustion chamber inside said housing havingwalls of asubstantial 5 thickness, passage-ways in the walls of said combustionchamber and in operative communication with the water in said housing.

2. In a device of the class described, a housing having a watercompartment, a water supply pipe communicating with the inside of saidwater compartment, a combustion chamber having walls of substantialthickness and positioned inside said water compartment, flues passingthrough said water compartment and having one .of their ends inoperative communication with the inside of said combustion chamber, anda plurality of tubes embedded in the wall of said combustion chambereach having both of their ends a substantial distance apart andterminating inside said water compartment.

3. In a device of the class described, a housing, a combustion chamberinside said housing, a relatively large water compartment inside saidhousing and surrounding the sides of said combustion chamber, and aplurality of hollow tube members within the walls of said combustionchamber each having their ends communicating with the inside of saidrelatively large water compartment.

4. In a device of the class described, a housing, a combustion chamber,housing inside said housing, a water compartment inside said housing andsubstantially surrounding the sides and top of said combustion chamber,and a plurality of circulation tubes each having their center portionswithin the walls of said combustion chamber, their lower endscommunicating with the inside of the water compartment at points near 10the bottom of said water compartment and their upper ends extending asubstantial distance above the top of said combustion chamber andcommunicating with the inside of said water compartment at points abovesaid combustion chamber.

HENRY B. LEWIS, Administrator for Wilson L. McLaughlin, De-

ceased.

HERROLD L. McLAUGHLIN. VIRG BALLOU.

